Solar-powered “pump” for uranium recovery from seawater

Abstract Uranium is of great importance to the nuclear industry and a practical and economic method for recovering uranium from seawater could help to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Available technology for extracting uranium is, however, limited by recovery speed. Here, we report a solar-powered “pump” for recovery of uranium from seawater, as well as steam generation. This “pump” consists of a cellulose-reinforced tannin-functionalized aerogel coated with carbon nanotubes. Upon solar irradiation, the carbon nanotubes generate a local heating effect that can be used to generate steam, which increases the speed and capacity of uranium adsorption. Our work provides a new strategy for recovery of uranium from seawater and could also be used for recovery of other heavy metal ions from wastewater.